War stories from around the Buckeye State

The war in Iraq is testing the resolve of Ohioans who have loved ones fighting in the Middle East and is bringing back memories for those who have served in previous wars. Here are some examples:

COLUMBUS It was training that Army Col. Rhonda Cornum hoped she would never use.

But when the helicopter in which she was flying on Feb. 27, 1991, crashed into an Iraqi bunker during the Gulf War, Cornum prepared to be a prisoner of war.

That training just takes over, said Cornum, who was born in Dayton and spent two years at Wilmington College. You try to stay alive with the faith that the military is going to come get you.

Cornum suffered a broken knee and two broken arms in the helicopter crash. She said Iraqi soldiers treated her decently during her imprisonment. They splinted her arms and eventually took her to a hospital.

Cornum, who currently lives in Washington D.C., never gave up any classified information during her eight-day capture. Her ordeal ended when the United States negotiated a prisoner exchange after the war.

MANSFIELD The Rev. Lon McSherley, pastor of St. Johns United Church of Christ, had a personal reason for talking about the war with Iraq during his Sunday sermon.

His son had been in Camp Pennsylvania, the U.S. camp in Kuwait where one soldier was killed and 15 wounded Saturday after grenades were tossed into tents.